Mandy
by pieceofpinkx33
Summary: Mandy was a rich, innocent child and Kyle was dark and evil. However, fate brought them together to form an unbreakable love relationship.
1. Daniel

Chapter 1

Daniel

"Ladies, ladies," the headmistress exclaimed excitedly. "Today is finally the day of our Monthly Picnic. Today, for the first time, we are going to be joined with the Gentleman Scholar Academy!" she said, referring to the Boys' academy next to their finishing school.

All of the girls chattered excitedly and giggled. They had many picnics before, but this was the first time the Finishing School was going to be joined with the Gentleman Scholar Academy.

"You ladies have prepared all of the food, right?" Everyone nodded. "Alright, so--" then she stopped. "Where's Mandy?"

Everyone shrugged.

"She should be on her way here," Lilly, Mandy's friend said.

The mistress shook her head in disapproval. Mandy had never been late to class.

"So, anyways, girls, we'll be heading out right now. Don't forget the table etiquette we have learned! Now off we go to the meadow."

All of the girls got up in groups and headed out the door towards the meadow.

--

Meanwhile, fifteen-year-old Mandy ran as fast as she could, clutching her basket. Her azure eyes were clouded with tears because her pony, Bindy, was deathly ill from old age. Mandy had been at home nursing the pony.

"I don't want to go to school, Mother," she cried out. "Today's only the picnic. I won't be missing anything at all."

"Mandy," her mother comforted, patting her back. "You need to go to the picnic. You'll be able to meet a lot of fine young gentleman."

Mandy shook her head, sniffling. "Bindy's about to die," she said quietly. "I wouldn't exchange a hundred boys for her."

"You have to go," Mother said sternly. "Come on, get up," she said. "I'll take care of Bindy. She'll live. "

'But mother, I--"

"Go." she commanded. "Bindy's safe in my hands."

Now, Mandy was late to school for the first time. Her eyes were red from crying, and she couldn't stop thinking about Bindy. But, she was late. She ran harder. Suddenly, she bumped into someone, and her basket flew out of her hands. The boy fell to the ground, and Mandy fell to her hands. Dust spewed everywhere, but she didn't notice. "Excuse me," she muttered, reaching for her basket. It was still intact.

"Do you need help--" he asked, getting up, but she was already running away.

He stared off after her. "That was strange," he thought.

--

Mandy burst into the classroom, but it was already empty. "They must've gone to the meadow ," she thought. She grabbed her basket and headed towards the meadow.

At the meadow, the picnic table and food were set up, and the ladies were sitting on the grass, chattering. As Mandy approached them, she hesitated. Should she explain to the mistress what had happened? She decided not to, and went to join her friends.

"Mandy, what's wrong?" Lilly asked, concerned.

"Nothing," she murmured, hoping no one would ask more. They didn't.

"You want to go get some food?" Lilly asked, gesturing to the table.

"Sure," Mandy replied. She got up and headed to the table. As she was gathering food on her plate, a firm hand grabbed her shoulder. Mandy turned around.

It was the mistress.

"Look, I'm so sorry. My horse--"Mandy started.

"Mandy, this is unacceptable. I am disappointed in you. "

"But--"

"No excuses. Late is late. Go sit over there until I tell you to join us again," she said, pointing to an area farther off. "You are not to talk with anyone, as your punishment."

Mandy headed off to sit where mistress had pointed. She sat, leaning against a tree, alone. She had never felt so vulnerable and alone. She was usually with her friends. Just as well, she thought. I won't have to answer any questions about my eyes.

--

Seventeen-year-old Daniel stood among his friends, joking and laughing about the picnic. They were all very popular, and this was their last year at the academy.

"I'll be right back," he told them. He went to the table to get more food, he caught sight of a pretty girl sitting alone under a tree, with tears in her eyes. She looked familiar. His brow wrinkled as he tried to think of where he had seen her. She glanced up at him. Then he remembered. She was the girl who had run into him on the way to school. He smiled amusedly, and wiggled his fingers in a wave. A confused look crossed her face, and she turned away.

Was she crying because he had made her late? He decided to go talk to her. Besides, she was very attractive, with a slender face and loose brown curls.

He walked over to her and sat down.

"Hi," he said, grinning.

She looked at him, with a surprised look.

"Hi," she said. Then she said nothing.

There was a long silence.

"Who are you?" she asked, at last.

"I'm Daniel, the person you knocked into today...in the morning."

She showed no recognition. Maybe this is the wrong person, Daniel thought.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, getting up. "I must've gotten the wrong person" He felt quite embarrassed with himself.

Suddenly, she grabbed his elbow. "I remember you!" she exclaimed loudly. Daniel flinched from her sudden touch. She stood up, since it felt awkward to be talking to him while she was sitting down.

"I'm so sorry for bumping into you today," she said. "Sorry I didn't apologize. I'm so sorry, you must've been angry at me for ruining your clothes, and--"

"It's OK," said. He grinned. "No need to be sorry."

He wanted to talk to her more.

"What happened to you this morning?" he asked.

She hesitated. "My horse was deathly ill," she said. "I was taking care of her."

She didn't really feel comfortable spilling her feelings out to strangers. But him, he didn't feel like a stranger at all. In fact, it felt quite natural.

Suddenly, Mistress came over. She eyed Daniel critically, but she didn't say anything.

"Mandy, your punishment is over," she said. "Run along."

Daniel smiled at Mandy. "Well, I'll be going," he said.

She smiled a dazzling smile back at him. "Me too."

Right then, she realized that he was very handsome. He was a head taller than her, and he had short, brown hair.

Mandy walked back over to join her friends, not thinking about Daniel anymore. She probably wouldn't see him again, anyways.

However, Daniel couldn't stop thinking about Mandy. There was something about her that interested him. She seemed different, and she seemed to have a deeper character than she appeared.

"I hope to see her again," he thought to himself. Then, he rejoined his group of friends.

* * *

-:- Please write reviews! Tell me what you think, what I need to improve, etc.


	2. Visitor

Chapter 2

Visitor

After school, Mandy hastily said goodbye to her friends and rushed home quickly. She burst into the farm door and ran to Bindy's stall.

"Mother, mother!" she called out. "Is Bindy OK?"

She caught sight of her mother and Bindy both sleeping peacefully on the hay. Bindy was safe and alive. Mandy felt a huge weight lifted off of her.

Mother woke up. "How was the picnic?" she asked groggily. Without answering, Mandy scrambled up to her mother and hugged her heartily. "Thank you," she said, "for saving Bindy." Her mother patted her back comfortingly.

"Bindy's safe now," she said, smiling. "So, how was the picnic? Did you meet anybody from the Boys' Academy?"

"No.."Mandy said instinctively. "Oh wait, I met this nice boy, actually."

"Oh, really?" asked her mother, interested. "Tell me," she said teasingly to Mandy.

"Mother, it's nothing!" Mandy muttered. "I probably won't see him anymore, anyways."

Her mother got up from the hay and pulled Mandy up with her.

"I met a nice lady at the aristocrats' council today," she told Mandy. Mandy's family was one of the richest in their town, and they lived in a neigborhood of extravagant mansions.

"The lady told me," she continued, "that she had a nice son who was looking for a girl. I told her about you, and she suggested that she and her son come visit us tomorrow."

"Mother!" Mandy said. "I'm not ready for a, you know, right now."

Her mother laughed lightly.

"Mandy, I'm sure you'll like him."

"He probably won't like me, though," she told herself sadly, without letting her mother hear.

"Time to get back to the house," Mother said.

--

The next day, Mandy awoke early to help her mother with preparations with the food for the visiting family. Meanwhile, Mandy's father was away on a business trip. Mandy's family didn't have a cook, because her Mother made such delicious food anyways. Mandy always helped her mother cook, and her mother taught her secrets to delicious food.

"Choose carrots in the summer, at their ripest time," Mother had taught her. "That way, the flavor will come out stronger and sweeter."

Or, "Leave the scones in the oven just long enough to be crisp, but not too brown."

Mandy always memorized these secrets, and she tried to make her food taste like Mother's.

Together, they prepared the hams, turkey, breads, and much, much more food.

"I wonder what this boy is like," Mandy kept thinking. Was he gonig to be arrogant? Kind? Shy? Loud?

Finally, they set their central table with the abundance of food. Then, Mandy scurried up the curved staircase to her room.

She opened up her ivory cabinet and flipped through her dresses. Should she wear a frilly dress? Or a simple one? She didn't know what to choose. She chose a light pink, long-sleeved one that was plain and long. It looked too formal. She chose a shorter sleeveless magenta one, with several frills and flower embroideries. She looked at herself. Her hair was a mess. She combed it up and placed a flower pin into her hair. There. She looked presentable now.

She scurried down the stairs. Mother was already dressed. Her mother always looked beautiful. Today, she was especially pretty. She wore a stunning green dress that had frilly sleeves and a decorative design around the neck. Her auburn hair was swept up into an elegant bun.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Mandy's mother went to answer it.

Mandy sat on her couch, nervous yet excited. She wasn't sure what to expect.

"Welcome," she heard Mother say. Then, they entered the room. Mandy looked at them. The boy looked sort of familiar. Then, she stifled a gasp as she remembered.

It was Daniel!

She snuck a look at him. He was smiling politely, and he hadn't noticed her yet on the sofa. Should she say hi, or should she pretend she didn't know him. Daniel, his mother, and Mother were standing on the other side of the big living room. Mandy decided to pretend she didn't notice him. She crept up from the couch and ran silently upstairs to her room.

She felt exhilarated yet nervous that Daniel was here.

She sat in her room for several minutes, and she heard the faraway voices of Mother and the visitors downstairs.

"Where's your lovely daughter, may I ask?" asked Daniel's mother, Madame Versoi.

"Ah, yes," Mother exclaimed. "Mandy, come on down!"

Mandy got up nervously and headed down the stairs. As she neared the bottom, Daniel and Madame Versoi looked up. She saw a look of shock on Daniel's face. His mother looked pleased.

"Hi, I'm Mandy," Mandy said quietly, shaking both of their hands. Daniel stared at herwith amusement on his face. She was feeling self-conscious. He didn't say anything about knowing her, though.

All four of themsat down to lunch. Daniel and Mandy sat across from each other.

"Mmm, this food is absolutely delicious!" Madame Versoi exclaimed enthusiastically as Mother beamed.

Mandy was too nervous to eat anything, since no boys usually visited her house.

"The tomato soup is absolutely the best!" Madame Versoi continued. Then, she and Mother talked enthusiastically about business and such matters.

Just then, Daniel grabbed Mandy's bowl.

"Hey!" she prostested. He filled her bowl with a portion of every dish on the table. Then, he placed it back in front of her.

"I noticed you weren't eating anything," he whispered to her. "Eat more."

She blushed.

Lunch passed by slowly, and Mandy didn't taste any of the food that she ate. She noticed that Daniel's eyes never left her face. It felt like eternity before everyone finished eating and talking.

"Why don't you two children go outside and get to know each other?" Mother suggested.

"No-" Mandy started.

"Sure," Daniel said enthusiastically. He got up from his seat and grabbed my wrist.

"Come on, let's go," he said openly.

Mandy stood up and followed him out to the garden.

"It's you, again," he said, chuckling. "It's like we're meant to be together."

Mandy laughed along with him.

"Yeah, maybe so," she said, not thinking so.

"So, the girl my mother was boasting about was you," he said. "I can see that they were all understatements about your beauty."

Mandy blushed. "And my mother didn't tell me anything about you. So we're fair."

Daniel looked shocked at first, then laughed at it.

"You're so quiet, some moments, and then so bold."

Mandy said nothing, therefore his point being proved.

"So..." he started. "How's Finishing School for you?"

His easy way of speaking made Mandy feel comfortable around him. He felt like an older brother she never had.

"It's quite boring," she said honestly. "Although I do like the headmistress."

"You do?" Daniel said, shocked. "The one who made you sit under the tree?"

Mandy nodded. "It was for my own good, I guess. Everyone says I'm her favorite."

She wasn't boasting, but just stating what she knew. Then, before she knew it, she was spilling out all of her secrets to him. What she thought of all the teachers, her best and worst friends, her close relationship with Mother and Father.

Yet, she didn't feel uncomfortable. In fact, it felt so natural.

In turn, Daniel revealed some things about himself. He enjoyed being popular at his Academy, and he liked to hunt. Hunting! That was quite manly.

"I like you," he wanted to say to Mandy. But he saw that she obviously didn't like him that way. She was just confiding in him.

They talked for several hours, openly expressing their feelings.

At dawn, they sat together on the grass ouside of Mandy's home, watching the pink sky fade slowly to orange, then brown, then black.

Madame Versoi came outside, beckoning to Daniel.

"Time to go," she told him. "We'll come here often to visit," she told Mother. They had become very good friends in this one day.

Daniel and Mandy got up.

"I guess I'll see you later, then," Daniel told Mandy.

"Yeah, we'll meet again," Mandy said.

Then, he and his mother left. He stole a glance back at her and waved. Mandy waved back.

Mandy hoped that he would come again soon.


	3. Father

Chapter 3

Father

Over the next week, Mandy awaited eagerly for Daniel and his mother to come. She hadn't seen him when she went to school, and Mother never mentioned them again.

So, Mandy decided to bring up the topic to Mother.

They were both kneading dough to make a cranberry pie.

"Mother," Mandy said. "Is Daniel going to visit us again?"

Her Mother grinned playfully.

"Why...are you interested in him?"

I'm not interested in him, Mandy thought. I only like him as a friend.

"No...uh, nevermind." But Mother wasn't fooled.

"Mandy-" she started out. Then, their front door opened. Mother wiped off her flour quickly and ran to the door.

A tall, well-groomed man was coming in and placing his sword and sack on the floor.

"Charles!" Mother exclaimed happily and rushed over to him, placing her arms around his neck.

"Father!!" Mandy cried out, running out from the kitchen and embraced both him and her mother.

Father smiled. "If you want to see what I brought back from my trading, you must let go of me,"

Both Mandy and her Mother detached from him.

He opened the sack and took out one item. It was a red rose. At closer inspection, Mandy saw that it was carved out of wood! But, oh! The workmanship was beautiful. It looked exactly like a real rose. Maybe even more beautiful than one.

"This," said Father. "Is one of Algulen's. It's beautiful isn't it?" Algulen was an elf. He wasn't a professional carver yet; He had just started, but the artifacts he made were still priceless.

"Yes," Mandy said in wonder.

Father turned the rose sideways, and Mandy saw that it was a cup. How natural it looked!

"This is for you, Mandy," Father said, handing it to her.

She clasped it in her hand, amazed at the beauty and delicacy.

Then, Father took out a plain, brown box that fit in his hand.

"What's this?" Mother asked, bemused.

"It's a fairy trifle," he said, explaining. Mandy looked up, curious.

She noticed something strange; her parents were staring at each other, as if there was something they wanted to say, but couldn't. Mandy felt slightly chilled. But she didn't take any note of it.

"Let's see what it does," Mandy said.

"OK," said Father, the look gone from his face.

He held it out in his hand, and there was a rich smell of baking bread coming out of it.

Mother stared at it in surprise.

"What am I to do with that?" she asked.

"Whisper anything to it, and it'll have the scent of that thing."

"Garden," he whispered to it.

Instantly, the room was filled with the luscious scent of roses and dirt.

Mother smiled.

"It was made as a fairy joke, but I couldn't resist it. It was quite expensive, too."

He handed it to Mother. "Warning. Don't whisper anything smelly to it. Otherwise..."

"Yes, I understand," said Mother, laughing.

Father took out many less expensive items, such as many dresses for Mandy and Mother, exotic foods, and jewelry. Mandy and Mother had already gotten so many gifts from Father's previous trading expeditions, but each time, they were still astounded by the beauty of everything. But, he had one last gift for Mandy.

"This one is also a fairy trifle," he told her. "It was made long ago, when fairies lived in abundance."

He handed her a plain, old book.

"Oh, Father," she said, somewhat disappointed.

"When you open it," he told her. "You'll be surprised."

Afterwards, Father sat down on the couch to rest, and Mother and Mandy went back to the kitchen to finish the cranberry pie.

Once it was made to perfection and placed in the oven, they went to sit with Father in the living room. However, Father had already fallen asleep.

"Shh," Mother whispered. "We don't want to wake him up. Go to your room."

Obediently, Mandy grabbed the book and went up to her room. She wasn't sure what was in it. After wavering, she decided to open it.

_You are the eighth owner of this book _

_Treat this book with care. If you lose it, it will always come back to you._

_From the Fairies_

Mandy flipped to the next page. Inside, there was a story about Fairies. It explained that they used to be the most populous species on Earth, and humans were quite rare. However, a human and fairy fell in love, and the human used her to destroy all of the rest of the fairies. By the end of the story, Mandy was sobbing. Why had the human betrayed the fairy? Why had the fairy been so foolish!

But, it's all a story, she thought. No point mourning over something that never happened.

She flipped to the next page, expecting another story.

However, she looked at the next page in surprise.

There was a boy on it. He seemed to look like Daniel.

She looked closely at the picture. The boy seemed to be in a marketplace. She turned to the next page. There was a bigger picture. She could see that he was with a large group of friends outside in the marketplace. She caught sight of a man chopping off a chicken head behind them. And she saw many girls flocking to the group, flirting with the boys. All the girls were quite beautiful.

The boy in there was probably someone who looked like Daniel.

The next page showed something weird. It was a page of rules.

_How to Know You're a Fairy_

It was followed by lines of strange symbols that Mandy had never seen. There would probably be an explanation on the next page.

She turned to the next page, and there was a translation of the previous page.

_1. You have extremely small feet_

Mandy looked down. Her feet were quite small. She was about to read on, but her book had fallen on the ground when she was looking at her feet. She opened the book and flipped quickly through all the pages. She couldn't find the page of rules anymore.

At that moment, there was a knocking on the door downstairs. Mandy took no heed and continued flipping through the pages. Mother answered the door downstairs.

Mandy continued to flip through the book furiously. However, all the pages had changed! The first page was different, replaced by a fairy tale. Was it really magical? Suddenly, Mandy realized there was a presence at the door. It was probably Mother.

"I'm not hungry, Mother," she said. "I don't want any pie."

Mother didn't leave. Mandy looked up. Daniel was standing there! Just then, Mandy realized what had just happened. She felt silly.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, standing up. "I thought you were Mother."

Daniel smiled and came in.

"I saw you flipping through the book without reading it," he said. "What were you looking for?"

"Oh, nothing," I told him. "So, what are you doing here? It's quite...unexpected."

"I was at the marketplace closeby with a couple friends," he explained. "I saw your house, so I decided to come visit for a while."

"I see," said Mandy. Slowly, her mind formulated what had happened. Daniel _was_ the one in the book. It was a real scene from real life that was happening. No, it couldn't be. She decided to ask him.

"Where there any, uh, girls?" she questioned.

"Yeah, a couple, I guess," he said, looking uninterested. "Why?"

Daniel was the one in the book! The book took scenes in real life!

She still didn't believe it. I'll ask him one more question, she thought. If he says yes, then it's a magic book.

"Was there...a man behind you...selling chickens?" Mandy asked.

Daniel looked surprised.

"Yeah! Were you there? How come you didn't come say hi?"

Mandy felt scared. The book was magical. It truly was. But she had to answer Daniel's question. She made up an excuse.

"I had to come home quickly," she said. "Sorry."

She really wanted to tell Daniel about the magic book. But, something inside her told her not to. She almost believed that she heard a voice from the book telling her not to tell anybody about it. But when she looked at it, it was lying still.

She and Daniel talked for a while, but she couldn't concentrate on what was happening. The book could show scenes from life! It probably could predict the future, even.

"Mandy?" he asked. "Mandy?"

Mandy shook out of her trance. "Yeah?" said Mandy.

"You don't look well," he said.

That was true. Her mind was overwhelmed by the magical book.

"Maybe I should go home, let you rest a little."

"Yea, sure," breathed Mandy. She wanted to look through the magic book again.

Daniel patted her on the back.

"Get well," he told her, and then he left the room.

Right when he stepped out, Mandy opened the book again.

There was a warning.

**_Do not reveal this book to anyone._**

That was all it said.

She turned to the next page and next page. They all said those seven words. All of the pages contained this warning.

Surprised, she closed the book. Then, she opened it again. There was no trace the words had even been there. Instead, there was an image of Daniel walking down the stairs of her house. She watched as he walked through her living room and say goodbye to Mother. She even saw Father sleeping on the couch. Then, she looked in regret as Daniel walked through the front door. Then, the page was dark.


	4. Fairy

Chapter 4

Fairy

Over the next two years, Daniel and Mandy visited each other's houses often. Daniel's house was almost a second home to Mandy, and Madame Versoi welcomed her openly into her house. Mandy felt that Daniel was her best and closest friend.

--

Mandy left finishing school, laughing and walking with a group of friends. They were all 17, in the highest grade of finishing school. It was winter, and they were getting a break for a few weeks.

"I'll see you later, then," Mandy said, waving to her friends. They waved back and left her. Mandy stood alone on the road. She always walked home by herself on a separate route, since the other girls were from poorer families than her.

She thought about what the other girls had been talking about. Fairies. Did such things even exist anymore? Everyone knew that they had once lived, but died out. Evaline had been claiming that she saw a fairy couple in the marketplace, but no one believed her. She had said that the woman and man's feet were much too small, and that fairies had extremely small feet. Mandy looked at her own feet for a minute. They were quite small. But she took no note and dismissed the topic. She continued on her way home.

Just as she was nearing her house, she saw someone walking towards her, his handsome face expressionless. It was Daniel.

"Daniel!" she exclaimed gleefuly. She rushed towards him. "What are you doing here?" she asked. Then she saw his expression. "What's wrong?"

"Mandy," he said. "Your parents have disappeared."

She froze. "What? What did you say?"

Daniel looked frightened. "I know this is strange, but your parents are gone."

"No!" she said. Why would this happen. She grabbed Daniel's arm. "Come on!" she said weakly. Together, they rushed to her house. She shoved her key into the door and burst in, expecting to see that everything was normal and that her parents were there. Slowly, she examined her house. All of the roomgs were empty. Even the maids were gone. However, the hosue seemed normal. Everything was in place.

"Where are they?" she whispered, scared. Then, she erupted. "Daniel, where are they?" she screamed.

"I don't know," he whispered.

"How did you find out my parents were gone?"

"Last night, my parents came here. They rang the doorbell, but no one answered. This morning, at six, yor parents weren't here either."

Mandy felt frightened. Her parents never went anywhere at night, and they left so early in the morning. She rushed to her parents' room, with Daniel following behind. Maybe there was an explanation. There was. Kind of. On her parents' bed, there was a plain, brown box. She tried to open it, but Daniel stopped her. "Look," he said, pointing. There was a note underneath it.

_Mandy,_

_We have left because our existence has been threatened. But don't worry, dear. You'll be safe. Trust us. We'll always be watching over you. No harm will come to you. Just remember: Always wear these shoes in this package. _

_We love you, _

_Mother and Father_

Mandy opened the box. Inside, there were silver slippers. They looked quite expensive and dainty. She them on. They covered her whole foot, and there were small gold bows at the tip. However, they were a little too large for her feet. She took some newspapers and put them into the front of her shoe. There. Now they fit. Instantly, she felt safer. Inside the package, there was a smaller box, about the size of her fist. It was a light pink shade and was decorated with dried, white flowers. There was a another note taped on it.

_Do Not Open Until You're 20_

Mandy didn't care what the note said. She didn't want to wait three years to open the box. She just wanted to know what was going on. Forcefully, she tried to take the lid off, but it wouldn't budge. She wanted to try again, but Daniel stopped her.

"Don't," he said quietly. "I think it's best to listen to what your parents say."

"He's right," Mandy thought.

Suddenly, the realization sunk in. Her parents were gone. And she was in potential danger if she didn't wear the shoes. A tear escaped from her eye, which turned into a flood of tears. She collapsed into Daniel's arms and cried into his shoulder.

"My parents are gone," she sobbed. "I'm all alone."

Daniel patted her back. "You're not alone. You have me, remember?" he comforted.

But she couldn't stop crying. and Daniel didn't try to stop her.

It was nearing nighttime. Mandy and Daniel sat on her parents' bed. Every time Mandy thought of her parents, her eyes brimmed with tears. But at least she could control them now.

"Mandy," Daniel finally said. "It's nighttime."

She looked up. So much time had passed.

"If you want," Daniel said, "you could come live with my family."

Mandy smiled bleakly.

"It's OK," she said. "I think I'll be able to stay by myself. After all, I'm seventeen."

Daniel smiled comfortingly. "All right," he said. "If you need anything, you can just come over to my house."

Mandy nodded.

With one last reassuring smile, Daniel left.

Mandy got up from the bed. With the box in her hand, she walked across the hall to her own room. Stroking the box, she fell asleep.

_"Fairy! Fairy!" someone mocked from a distance. Mandy looked around. She was suddenly surrounded by a crowd, and they were mocking her. Calling her fairy. __"I'm not!" she cried out. "You've got the wrong person!"__But they didn't stop. __"Fairy, fairy, " they said, pointing. Then, they were laughing at her. __"Stop!" she screamed out._

Mandy woke up sweating and shivering. Why were they calling her a fairy? Mandy felt something hard under her back. She reached for it. It was the box. She had fallen asleep on it. She tried opening it again, but it wouldn't open.

For the next several nights, Mandy had the same dream. But every night, the crowd got clearer. One night, she saw Evaline. Another night, she saw Mrs. Hendrick, her myths and legends teacher. She even saw a handsome, dark-haired boy standing in the crowd. He never yellled, never laughed. Just stood there staring at her. His presence scared her, but in the dream, she could not keep from staring at him.


	5. Dance

Chapter 5

Dance

These dreams tormented Mandy. Why were they calling her fairy? Fairies didn't exist! Every night, she woke up in a sweat, with the picture of the dark-haired boy in her mind. She couldn't stop thinking about him. Yes, he was handsome. But he seemed eerie.

"I can't survive with these dreams," Mandy thought. "I can't manage by myself."

--

The next day, someone rang on Daniel's doorbell. Daniel rushed down from his room and opened it.

"Mandy!" he exclaimed. She was standing there with her suitcase and the tiny box.

"Are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Yes, I'm fine." However, he could see dark spots beneath her eyes and her wearied look.

"Come on in," he said, gesturing.

Mandy stumbled in and sat on the couch. She had been here so many times. Yet it felt different this time.

"Daniel, I want to ask you a favor. Can I stay with you here? I'm afraid to live by myself."

"Yes, of course," he said without hesitating.

Mandy looked relieved.

Just then, Daniel's parents came down in their nightgowns.

"Mandy!" they exclaimed. They rushed over and hugged her. "We're so sorry about your parents. Are you alright, honey?"

"Yes," she said.

"Come on, dear," they said. "We'll fix up a nice room for you to stay in, ok?"

Grabbing her arms, they pulled her into one of their guests bedrooms. It was richly furnished with girly furniture and flowery designs. Mandy noticed that all of the furniture was a different shade of pink. It was quite relaxing, actually.

"We'll leave you here to unpack, dearie," they said, and they left the room together. Just then, Daniel came in.

Mandy sat on the bed, unpacking her suitcase. She hadn't brought much, since her house was right next door. However, she wouldn't need to be going back for a week.

"Mandy, are you sure everything's alright? You seem scared."

"No, I'm fine." Mandy said, and quickly dismissed the topic. "I just need some rest, that's all."

Daniel left the room, and left her to fall into a deep slumber that was not filled with fairies.

--

"Ladies," the headmistress exclaimed excitedly. "Next week, we'll be holding our Winter Ball of Bast. And since you girls are seventeen, this will be your first time attending!"

All of the girls excitedly exchanged whispers and giggles, wondering who was going to ask them to the ball.

"All of you ladies are going to be asked to the dance by one gentleman, so it is my duty to teach you how to dance properly so that one of you will be chosen as Ball Princess. Up, up!" she commanded.

The girls shuffled up, all hoping to be the Ball Princess. Mandy stood with her friends, wondering who she would go with to the ball. She knew she wouldn't go with Daniel, since he was so popular, and she wasn't. He could easily find a girl prettier than her. Most of the girls of the city secretly liked Daniel, but they didn't dare admit it. However, Mandy knew.

"I just won't go if I'm not asked. There." She felt a little pleased with herself with her solution. She didn't fancy dances that much, either.

"Mandy, get in place!" the headmistress gasped. Oops. Mandy scurried to her place, and stood silent.

"1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3" the mistress commanded as the girs gracefully did the steps. They were all familiar with this, and had been dreaming of the ball since they had learned how to dance when they were young.

"There, ladies," she said, after practice was done. "Now, go out there and impress some gentlemen. I do not want to see any of you at the ball alone!"

The girls left the classroom, discussing boys.

"Mandy, who do you want to go with?" asked Marie, one of her friends.

Mandy turned pink. " I don't know...I hardly talk with any boys."

"Oooh, Daniel's going to ask you," Selena, another one of her friends chimed in.

" Really?" she asked, surprised. "Why would he ask someone like me? He has plenty of other choices."

"Don't act like you're surprised. You know it." said Kristel jealously.

"Yea," said Selena. "You know that Daniel has been wanting to ask you to the dance since forever."

"If you don't want him, I'll have him!" said Lucinda, another girl.

Everyone laughed. Mandy felt embarrassed. "We'll see about that," she said. "I don't know if I'm going to go, anyways."

"Come on, Mandy!" said Selena, smiling. "There'll be no Ball Princess if you're not there. We all know you're going to get chosen."

"Quiet!" Mandy said, punching her lightly in the arm.

"Ouch!" Selena cried.

"Ooh, someone's here to see you," Lucinda said. The other girls giggled.

Mandy turned around. Daniel was walking towards them, smiling.

"He is _so_ handsome," someone whispered.

"We'll see you later," said Selena. "Good luck." She winked.

"Bye," they all exclaimed, waving.

Mandy walked towards Daniel. "_What_ are you doing here?" she exclaimed.

"I had to do some business nearby. I finished early, so I decided to come walk home with you."

Daniel did business for his family's company.

"So, anything interesting going on?"

"Just the dance," Mandy said, uninterested. "I'm probably not going. Are you going?"

"Hmm...I'm not sure anymore," he said slyly. "I think the girl I'm going to ask doesn't want to go."

"If it's you, she'll definitely go." Mandy promised, a little too early.

"Alright. Then you'll go to the Winter Ball of Bast with me?" said Daniel.


	6. Kyle

Chapter 6

Kyle

_"So, anything interesting going on?" asked Daniel._

_"Just the dance," Mandy said, uninterested. "I'm probably not going. Are you going?"_

_"Hmm...I'm not sure anymore," he said slyly. "I think the girl I'm going to ask doesn't want to go."_

_"If it's you, she'll definitely go." Mandy promised, a little too early._

_"Alright. Then you'll go to the Winter Ball of Bast with me?" said Daniel._

Mandy squirmed uncomfortably. She regretted what she had just said.

"Um..I don't know," she admitted. "I'm not really into dances."

"Aw, Mandy, just because you don't like dances you're not going to go? We can just hang out together there," Daniel said.

"No, it's OK," Mandy said. "Besides, I know a lot of other girls would enjoy going with you."

"And you wouldn't?" Daniel asked, playfully.

"It would feel weird going as friends, don't you think?" asked Mandy truthfully.

"No." Daniel looked at Mandy. "You really don't want to go with me?" he asked.

"Let me think about it," said Mandy, although she knew she didn't want to go to the dance.

"OK, fine," said Daniel. "But if you're not going, then I'm not going."

"Daniel!" Mandy protested. "You can't! You can always ask someone. A lot of girls will be disappointed if you're not there."

"And I'll be unhappy to be there without you," replied Daniel promptly.

"I'll just think about it," said Mandy. By that time, they had reached Daniel's house.

Mandy went in, and placed her bag into her room.

"I'm going to go to the marketplace," said Mandy. She didn't want to stay alone with Daniel in his house.

"Do you need me to go with you?" asked Daniel.

"No, I'll be fine," replied Mandy. She quickly left the house, holding her bag of money.

Mandy walked slowly through the marketplace, thinking about the dance. Daniel was a really close friend to her, but it wouldn't feel right to go with him to the dance. She hadn't even expected him to ask her to the dance.

Suddenly, someone grabbed at Mandy's purse.

"Hey!" she shouted out, holding onto her purse tightly. The thief yanked at her purse, breaking its strap and running away.

"Thief!" Mandy cried out. However, the marketplace was too loud, and no one heard her. Suddenly, a man nearby started running towards the thief. He reached the thief, and pulled him to the ground.

"Give me the purse," he growled. The thief tried to hit the man in the jaw, but the man ducked. He grabbed the purse, and walked away, walking towards Mandy.

"Here," he said to Mandy, handing her the purse. "I think all of the money is still in here."

"Thanks," said Mandy, with relief. The purse had held a lot of money. "What's your name?"

"I'm Kyle," he said. "And you are?"

"Mandy," Mandy replied. She looked at his face closely. He looked strangely familiar, as if she had met him before. He was extremely handsome, and had dark hair and eyes. He looked to be two or three years older than Mandy.

"Have I seen you before?" Mandy asked hesitantly. Kyle looked at her solemnly.

"No," he said. "I'm new to this town."

"Oh," said Mandy, still unsure. "Well, thanks for getting my purse back for me," she said, smiling.

"No problem," he said. He waved at her, and started to leave. Suddenly, Mandy remembered him from her dream. He was the one who had been part of the crowd that was calling her a fairy.

"Wait, Kyle!" she exclaimed. "Are you the guy..." Then she didn't know what to say. How could she explain that he had been in her dream?

"Am I what?" Kyle asked.

"Nevermind," said Mandy, feeling foolish. "It was nice meeting you."

Kyle nodded and walked away.

Mandy felt her heart beating quickly when he was leaving. She felt a longing, as if she wanted to see him again. She really wanted to know him better. As she continued wandering through the marketplace, she kept thinking about him. Maybe she would even see him in school!

It was dark when Mandy finally got home, her arms full of groceries.

"Mandy!" Daniel exclaimed when Mandy walked in. "Have you eaten yet?" Mandy felt extremely exhausted from wandering around the marketplace for so many hours.

"I'm not hungry," she replied. "I'll be going to my room." She yawned.

"Wait," he said. Mandy paused.

"So...I've been really distracted all day about the dance. Are--are you going to the dance with me?"

Mandy sighed.

"I don't know yet," she replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Fine,whatever," said Mandy without thinking. "I'm going to bed."

Up in her room, Mandy changed into her frilled nightgown and sat down on her bed.

"What had I just agreed to?" Mandy asked herself. She hadn't really heard what Daniel had said. Then she remembered. He had asked her again if she was going to the dance with him.

"Oh no, did I just agree to him?" Mandy thought. "I only said it because I was too tired." However, she didn't have time to think about it. In several minutes, she was already asleep.


End file.
